Hi everyone Robin here in Lanzarote Canary Islands. I've got an old Hobie 14 one of the first with no jib/foresail.I go out on it with a mate most times as the ocean here can be radical, anyway it's very difficult to tack or mostly impossible and even on a jibe will stall halfway sometimes and just sit pointing into the wind and nothing will make it turn away in either direction, in fact it goes backwards and the rudders respond backwards! This can be dangerous when near the shore. Please help !!!!!!!

Sounds just like a typical catamaran actually! Hobie 14 or any uni-rig (main only) boat acts the same. Especially with heavier weight on board.

There are techniques and backing up with reversed rudders is one of them.

Sail with power turning slowly (at first) into the wind. Try to pick a spot where the waves will push you across as the boat nears head-to-wind. That could mean starting the tack as you crest over a wave. Turning through the trough and then getting head to wind at the next peak.

As the boat slows turn the helm hard over. Release the main sheet and force the boom out several feet. You can pull the boom to weather to weather vane the hulls through the tack. straighten the rudders and crawl under the boom. (Weight forward can stall the tack as well, so aft is better than forward). Let the boat fall away from the wind before starting to sheet again. Then sheet harder as the boat picks up speed.

If you stall when head-to-wind. Force the boom forward to back wind the sail.... reverse rudders and turn the sterns up wind. Again, let it turn well off wind then start sheeting on the new tack.

Take someone with you that knows how to sail catamarans very well, you crew on another boat with skilled skipper or let another cat sailor you know that doesn't have as much trouble solo your hobie and they'll maybe see a mechanical defect somewhere on your boat or have some tips to help you. If there's more than 300-350 lbs of total people on your boat it will make handling very hard. Don't ask me how i know……….Tim